Noncurl corner construction for floor coverings and method of producing same



Jan. 5, 1937. c. H. MASLAND. 2D 2,@66,639

NONCURL CORNER CONSTRUCTION FOR FLOOR'COVERINGS AND METHOD OF PRODUCING SAME Filed Jan. 22, 1956 C. H. Mas/arid E \NVENTOR BY WK 21 ATTORNEY,

Patented Jan. 5, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLOOR COVERINGS PRODUCING SAME Charles H. Masland, Application January 22,

AND METHOD OF 2nd, Garlisle, Pa.

1936, Serial No. 60,272

9 Claims. (oi. 154-49) This, invention relates. generallyto new and useful? improvements in floor coverings, such as carpets, rugs. and the like, and has reference more especially to: non-curling corner constructions therefor, and to a method of producing the same.

It is common practice, to place a binding or corner-piece of rubber, felt and other suitable substances along the edge and at the corners of floorcoverings, and especially rugs, to retain such articles, in their original shape by preventing the curling of theredges, a condition which commonly manifests itself when the rug has been in use for any length oftime. There are certain inherent disadvantages in the use of individual corner elements which are supplied separately and must be attached or affixed to the article either by the manufacturer or purchaser, because if they are substantial enough to be effective the elements are bulky and create raised sections susceptible to increased wear in the fabric. Furthermore, the separate units may be disturbed by persons walking on the raised sections or by heavy objects being drawn thereover to an extent whereby they may become separated from the floor covering and would therefore no longer serve any useful purpose.

With the foregoing in mind, it is the principal object of my invention to provide a fioor covering which embodies all the advantages of the usual rug or carpet, with the additional virtue of having non-curling corners which have none of the disadvantages pointed out.

I achieve this object by forming in each corner of the rug or carpet a convex area, normally an inseparable flexible structure, which raises the area inside the corner of the fioor covering from the surface of the fioor, and which is sufiiciently flexible to give under the weight of a person stepexcessive wear at the corners and providing what might be termed vacuum spaces, which tend to hold the corners down and against curling.

The methods of producing my improved noncurling corners for rugs and the like, as well as the several embodiments which are the products of the methods, will be more clearly understood when described in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure l is a bottom plan view of a rug having my preferred corner construction;

Figure 2 is a substantially longitudinal view of one corner of the rug taken on lines 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view of a portion of a rug embodying a modified corner construction;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on lines 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a plan view of rug showing a still further modification of the corner construction; and

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on lines 5-5 of Figure 5.

Referring to the drawing and particularly to Figures 1 and 2, l0 denotes a carpet or rug which may be woven in any one of the many types of fabrics used for this purpose, such as velvet, Wilton, Axminster, Brussels or Chenille, and which is provided with a coating ll applied to the back of each corner, the coating being preferably a liquid rubber compound when applied. The corners of the rug receiving the rubber compound are each held in a convex position, as viewed from the top and as illustratively exemplified in Figure 2, while the rubber compound is being dried and vulcanized into the rug. The result is a rug l0 having the back of its corners provided with the coating l l, which together with the rug material at these points, is slightly arched or convexly shaped upwardly to prevent curling or wrinkling at the corners.

The modification of the present invention, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, comprises the rug l0 and two strips of elastic webbing l2, each thereof being placed along an edge of the rug leading to a corner. Each strip I2 is approximately six to eighteen inches in length and is stretched slightly and then attached to the rug by a row or rows of stitching l3. When the elastic strips contract to their normal lengths, they cause the under side of the rug at each corner to be drawn into a concave position while the outer or upper side at the corner will take on a convex surface. ping thereon, thereby removing the danger of Still another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 and comprises a rug Ill having corner pieces M of sheet rubber, which are cemented to the back of the rug while the rubber is being held stretched in two directions. Thus when the cement has dried the rubber sheet M will contract and resiliently hold the rug corners slightly convex.

For all practical purposes, my improved floor covering, consisting of a suitable carpet material and slightly convex corners held in that position by elastic means is a unitary object and is sold 50 and used as such.

I am aware that it is not broadly new to apply reinforcements at the corners of rugs to prevent curling, but I believe that I am the first in the art to provide a floor covering consisting of previous- 55 ly formed fabric material and an elastic backing for the corners, the two being united to form an integral convex entity at these points.

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a floor covering such as a carpet or rug, consisting of a fabric material having corners extending upwardly beyond the normal plane of the upper face of the balance of the carpet or rug, and elastic means at said corners on the back of the carpet or rug and secured thereto to resiliently support the corners in elevated position.

2. As an article of manufacture, a floor covering such as a carpet or rug, consisting of a fabric material provided with convex corner areas extending upwardly beyond the normal plane of the upper face of the balance of the carpet or rug and strips of elastic material arched toward the fabric along each edge adjacent the corners of the fabric said strips of elastic material being secured to said fabric material.

3. As an article of manufacture, a floor covering such as a carpet or rug, consisting of a fabric material provided with convex corner areas extending upwardly beyond the normal plane of the upper face of the balance of the carpet or rug and rubber corner pieces arched toward the fabric cemented to the back of the material at the corners thereof.

4. The method of manufacturing a floor covering such as a carpet or rug, consisting in elevating the corners of the carpet or rug beyond the normal plane of the upper face of said carpet or rug and resiliently retaining said corners in elevated position.

5. The method of manufacturing a floor covering such as a carpet or rug, consisting in coating the back of each corner of a carpet type of fabric with a liquid rubber compound, drying the compound and vulcanizing the same into the fabric while the corners are being held convexly upward.

6. The method of manufacturing a floor covering such as a carpet or rug, consisting in stretching and attaching elastic webbing along the edges of a carpet fabric adjacent the corners at the under side thereof and allowing the webbing to contract and form convex projecting areas in the corners of the floor covering.

7. The method of manufacturing a floor covering such as a carpet or rug, consisting in stretching corner pieces of rubber material, cementing the stretched corner pieces to the back of the corners of carpet fabric material and allowing the corner pieces to contract to form convex projecting areas in the corners of the floor covering.

8. As an article of manufacture, a floor covering such as a carpet or rug, consisting of a fabric material plane throughout except at its corners and having said corners extending upwardly beyond the normal plane of the upper face of the balance of the carpet or rug and elastic means at said corners and secured thereto to normally hold said corners in convex upwardly extending form when said carpet or rug is laid.

9. A method of manufacturing a floor covering such as a carpet or rug, which method consists in applying elastic material to areas at or adjacent the corners of the carpet or rug while said carpet or rug is maintained in its normal flat condition, and subsequent to the application of the elastic material, imparting convexity to said elastic material to maintain and cause the same to similarly elevate and impart convexity to said corners of the carpet or rug.

C. H. MASLAND, 2ND. 

